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LinkedIn has always been helpful if you're seeking a job, but now it can train you for one too, thanks to a $1.5 billion deal to acquireLynda.com. That site offers nearly 3,500 courses by subscription on subjects ranging from web design to leadership body language, all taught by industry experts. Citing the obvious synergy between the companies, LinkedIn said that the deal would help job-seekers "know what skills are need for available jobs in a desired city... and then be prompted to take the relevant and accredited courses to acquire this skill."

Like many EVE Online players, I grew up playing early sci-fi games like Elite and its sequel Frontier. In fact, CCP's recently released stats on the distribution of ages within the EVE community shows a peak around 29 years old, meaning that most players grew up in that same gaming era. A big part of what initially drew me to EVE Online was the prospect of playing the same kind of massive trading and space exploration game with other people, and for over 10 years it's scratched that sci-fi sandbox itch. I've watched EVE grow from a relatively unknown game with around 40,000 subscribers and laggy cruiser skirmishes into a vast game where thousands of players wage war for territory, profit, or just the adrenaline rush of PvP with something valuable on the line.

Now that Elite: Dangerous is finally here, I want to see whether it can scratch the same sandbox itch as EVE and to what extent the two games can be compared. Both feature customisable ship fittings, open-world PvP with a criminal justice system, and real financial loss on death, for example, but the end result is two very different gameplay styles. And both also have that same intoxicating notion of exploring the unknown and try to make you feel like you're in a living world, but they take very different approaches to world design, content, and travel. Elite may not be a full-fledged MMO, but with a sandbox made of 400 billion procedurally generated stars and an open play mode that seamlessly merges players' games together, does it matter?

In this edition of EVE Evolved, I compare my experiences in Elite: Dangerous to my experiences in EVE Online and look at their differing strategies with regard to server model, active and passive gameplay, and the new player experience.
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brabenbusiness modelsccpccp-gamesculturedavid-brabeneliteelite: dangerouseveeve evolvedeve onlineeve-evolvedeve-onlinefeaturedfirst impressionsfirst-impressionfirst-impressionsfriendfriendsfrontierfrontier-developmentsgame mechanicshands-oninstanceinstancesloremmo industrynews itemspersistencepersistent-worldpvepvpsandboxsci-fiserver-modelshardshardingsocial-toolstutorialswarpSun, 21 Dec 2014 18:00:00 -0500319|21119394https://www.engadget.com/2014/12/10/facebook-video-tutorials-blocking/https://www.engadget.com/2014/12/10/facebook-video-tutorials-blocking/https://www.engadget.com/2014/12/10/facebook-video-tutorials-blocking/#comments

Even the most socially adept of us can fluff an attempt to quietly block an ex or do other Facebook stuff. That's because the apps differ from Android to iOS to the web and are regularly overhauled to boot. To help, Facebook has released some wildly over-produced but effective videos on how to do important functions. The four videos present a scenario that requires action from the protagonist -- a girl broke up with her boyfriend and wants to block him, for instance. Each then lays out the step-by-step actions needed to share a photo privately, untag yourself from a embarrassing photo, block and unblock someone or edit a post (web only), for both Android and iOS. We've embedded two below and you can find the rest at the source.

Let me state up front that I thoroughly enjoy Marvel Heroes. That said, I find some of its mechanics pretty obscure. Like, costume cores. What the heck am I supposed to do with those? To be fair, I could probably find the answer on the game's labyrinthine forum, but since I play it ultra-casually and somewhat infrequently, I'm usually too busy enjoying the clickfest to tab out and search.

TLDR, this game needs a tutorial or two, in my opinion.

What do you think, Massively readers? Is there an MMO or an MMO-lite in your rotation that needs some in-game explanation?

At long last, players in Final Fantasy XI won't need to use macros to handle gear-swapping; the game's August update adds an equipment set manager to let you swap sets easily and painlessly. Oh, and it adds new Seekers of Adoulin missions as well as a variety of other content, so that's nice. But really, no equipment-swapping macros any more -- that alone should change people's lives.

The update also adds Alluvion Skirmishes, new alter egos, and new NPCs to direct players toward quests, tutorials, and maps. Players will also benefit from a variety of job balance improvements and new ways to spend job points, not to mention the addition of new items as both craftable items and battle rewards. Whether you've been playing the game for a long time or just started jumping into it recently, there's plenty to enjoy within the update, and it can be downloaded now.

What goes through your mind when you come across show-stopping Landmarkbuilds? Do you just admire them, or do they also pierce your confidence and remind you of your own less-than-phenomenal skills? Some folks see another player's masterpiece and are inspired. while others get discouraged. Don't let it discourage you! Previously, I offered a few hints on how to avoid discouragement; remember, it's perfectly natural and OK to not have uber building skills. Besides that, you don't even have to build because when all is said and done (and released), there will be game enough for everyone, regardless of construction prowess.

But what if you really want to improve your skills? In that case, the first thing you need to do to restore hope in your skills is to stop comparing your abilities to others. Trust me, there will always be someone who can create circles (literally) around you in Landmark. Instead, focus on what you can do and on improving from there. If you really desire to make some specific awesome creation that you can see in your mind's eye but can't it make work in voxels, take the time to hone your skills. You may never join the upper echelons of the truly constructionally gifted, but that doesn't mean you can't make something great that you can be proud of! This guide will help point you in the direction of polishing and practicing those voxel manipulation skills.
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betabetaseqeq-2eq-iieq-nexteq-next-landmarkeq2eqiieqneqn-landmarkeqnexteqnleverquesteverquest-2everquest-iieverquest-nexteverquest-next-landmarkf2pfantasyfeaturedfree-to-playgame mechanicsguideguideshow-to-buildlandmarknorrathnorrathian notebooknorrathian-notebookopinionpgcplayer-generated contentplayer-generated-contentsandboxsoesonysony-online-entertainmenttattered-notebookthe-tattered-notebooktutorialsThu, 07 Aug 2014 12:00:00 -0400319|20893455https://massively.joystiq.com/2014/05/12/the-daily-grind-do-you-skip-tutorials/https://massively.joystiq.com/2014/05/12/the-daily-grind-do-you-skip-tutorials/https://massively.joystiq.com/2014/05/12/the-daily-grind-do-you-skip-tutorials/#comments

Gamasutra recently ran a developer op-ed on getting players to read in-game text. It was focused more on character dialogue than on tutorials, but it got me thinking about the seemingly hopeless task of designing a tutorial for the millions of players who probably ignore tutorials.

Veteran MMO players may have even more incentive to skip tutorials than most, as the genre's presentation and mechanics haven't changed much at all over the past decade or more. So, how about it, Massively readers? Do you skip MMO tutorials? If not, what's the last good one you learned from?

Every morning, the Massively bloggers probe the minds of their readers with deep, thought-provoking questions about that most serious of topics: massively online gaming. We crave your opinions, so grab your caffeinated beverage of choice and chime in on today's Daily Grind!
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daily-grindgame mechanicsmmo industryopinionskipping-tutorialstdgthe daily grindthe-daily-grindtutorialtutorialsMon, 12 May 2014 08:00:00 -0400319|20880176https://massively.joystiq.com/2014/02/23/eve-evolved-top-five-tips-for-new-eve-players/https://massively.joystiq.com/2014/02/23/eve-evolved-top-five-tips-for-new-eve-players/https://massively.joystiq.com/2014/02/23/eve-evolved-top-five-tips-for-new-eve-players/#comments

I often hear people say that EVE Online is a lot more fun to read about than actually play, and I've even caught myself saying it jokingly to friends and writing it in articles. But the truth is that amazing stories like the recent world record-breaking Bloodbath of B-R5RB are a hell of a lot better when you're a part of the action or have the first-hand experience to put the event into a wider context. All of EVE was impacted by that battle, with its effects rippling through the in-game markets and reshaping the political landscape of New Eden. But to read about it, you'd think the carnage in B-R5RB ended when $310,000 US worth of titans went up in smoke.

EVE has seen a huge influx of fresh faces since that colossal battle at the end of January, with thousands of new characters being created and the Rookie Help channel bursting at the seams. Whether you've always been a closet fan of EVE who has finally been convinced to take the plunge or you just want to join the ranks of the warring alliances you've read so much about, starting out can be a daunting experience. The sheer amount of information there is out there to absorb and sort through is overwhelming, and not all of it is up to date. CCP released a great new player guide recently to help newcomers assimilate, but I've still received several emails asking for advice on getting started.

In this week's EVE Evolved, I delve into the new-player experience with a 14-day free trial and reveal my top tips for starting out on the road to creating your own sandbox story.
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alliance-warfareb-r5rbcareer-agentsccpccp-gameschat-channelscorpcorporationcorporationscultureendgameeveeve evolvedeve onlineeve-evolvedeve-onlineeve-unieve-universityeve-wikifaction-warfarefeaturedgame mechanicsgoalgoalsguideguidesguildshands-onhelpincarnammorpgnew-playernew-player-experiencenew-player-guidenew-player-helpnew-player-tipsnullsecopinionoriginsplayer-generated contentpvepvprookierookie-helpsandboxsci-fisubscriptiontipstop-5top-fivetop-tipstrailertrailerstutorialtutorialsuniversityvideowikiSun, 23 Feb 2014 18:00:00 -0500319|20835878https://www.engadget.com/2014/01/18/the-future-of-beauty-school-is-google-glass/https://www.engadget.com/2014/01/18/the-future-of-beauty-school-is-google-glass/https://www.engadget.com/2014/01/18/the-future-of-beauty-school-is-google-glass/#comments

At least according to L'Oreal. The hair care giant (and purveyor of giant hair) just announced Matrix Class for Glass, which gives clients and beauty school students a stylists-eye view of your head. The three-part program includes a video series of in-depth beauty tutorials shot with Google's wearable; Matrix Eye for Style, an "exclusive" salon experience provided by George Papanikolas, who will record sessions with the headset; and a series of lessons for beauty professionals given by be-Glassed hair care superstars.

This isn't the first or last time L'Oreal has taken advantage of the wearable; it used Glass to document Mercedes Benz Fashion Week in Madrid late last year and has plans to release a Glass app sometime in 2014. It might seem like an odd coupling considering most glass holes are more Super Cuts than Vidal Sassoon, but L'Oreal says there's an intersection between the early adopters of fashion and tech. According to a study done by its partner at Fashion Week, Nurun, "The futuristic nature of Google Glass appealed to the fashion-forward, tech-savvy audience..." When we start seeing years-old issues of Wired replacing copies of Southern Hair at Truvy's, we'll believe it.

We've reached the end of 2013 and once again it's time to take a look back at the past year in Star Trek Online to see what has been successful and what missed the mark. I have to say that this year has been the most active that the game has seen since its launch almost four years ago. There's a lot to cover, so I'll just get right to it.

A new mission, a new ship, and a familiar voice

The game's third anniversary saw a new featured episode accompany the usual Q-instigated frivolity. The mission called Temporal Ambassador included the familiar voice of actress Denise Crosby, whose character, Tasha Yar from Star Trek: The Next Generation, was brought back along with the long-awaited Ambassador Class ship. The ship became the mission reward, continuing Star Trek Online's tradition of providing players with a new vessel during the game's anniversary event. While many of us had hoped that Crosby might be heard again as her other character, the Romulan Tal Shiar Operative Sela, I don't think many of us were truly expecting what was to come.
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captain's logcaptains-logcrypticcryptic-studiosdenise crosbyevents (in-game)expansionexpansionsf2pfactionsfeaturedfederationfoundryfree-to-playkdfklingonslegacy-of-romulusmarch-beneath-the-raptors-wingsmark valentinemichael dornopinionpatchesperfect-worldperfect-world-entertainment0pwerisaromulanssci-fishipsstar trek onlinestar-trekstar-trek-mmostar-trek-onlinestotemporal ambassadortutorialsvothworfyear-in-reviewMon, 30 Dec 2013 18:00:00 -0500319|20796871https://www.engadget.com/2013/12/13/googles-launches-tips/https://www.engadget.com/2013/12/13/googles-launches-tips/https://www.engadget.com/2013/12/13/googles-launches-tips/#comments

Though we're sure Google tries to keep its products like Now and Docs as easy to use as possible, who has the time to learn every single feature? That's likely why it just launched Google Tips, a site that uses its info card trope to help you dive more deeply into all 13 consumer products. For instance, a card for Google+ suggests you can "make your still photos not so still" and reveals a tutorial for supported devices when you click it. You can even submit your own idea for a tip, though you'll need a Google account for that and other functions. It's only available on desktop browsers for now, but if you want to give it a spin and see all the supported products, hit the source.

Star Trek Online recently revealed a freshly revamped tutorial for players who create new Starfleet characters. This week I had the opportunity to check the new material out for myself, so I rolled a new toon and experienced what it is like to have greatness thrust upon me!

What? You don't believe me? It's true! My character went from academy graduate to captain of a Starfleet vessel in a matter of minutes! Oh wait, I guess that's not so surprising; even Captain James T. Kirk did it in an alternate universe.

The fact of the matter is there's no easy way, story-wise, to get a new player's character into the command chair in a completely convincing manner. I'll be explaining how it all happens, so if you want to remain surprised about anything in the new Star Trek Online Starfleet tutorial, avert your eyes for the remaining portion of this away mission. But do me a favor and scroll down anyway, look at the pictures, and pretend to read it. It'll make me feel better. The rest of you are with me. Engage.
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artcaptain's logcaptains-logcrypticcryptic-studiosf2pfeaturedfree-to-playhands-onjj-abramsopinionperfect-worldperfect-world-entertainmentpwesci-fistar trek onlinestar-trekstar-trek-mmostar-trek-onlinestarfleet-academystotutorialtutorialsMon, 25 Nov 2013 12:00:00 -0500319|20775008https://massively.joystiq.com/2013/08/26/captains-log-interview-with-star-trek-onlines-christine-thomp/https://massively.joystiq.com/2013/08/26/captains-log-interview-with-star-trek-onlines-christine-thomp/https://massively.joystiq.com/2013/08/26/captains-log-interview-with-star-trek-onlines-christine-thomp/#comments

The past couple of weeks, I took a bit of time to head to Las Vegas to moderate and cover the Star Trek Online panels at the official Star Trek Convention, but I'm happy to say I'm back in the saddle and picking up where I left off with my series of interviews with the people responsible for making Star Trek Online and conducted when I visited Cryptic Studios in late June.

This week I begin my summaries of my interview with STO's lead writer, Christine Thompson. Many of you may know her as Cryptic Kestrel. Read on to see what she had to say about writing for the Romulan Republic!
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captain's logcaptains-logcharles graychristine thompsoncrypticcryptic-studiosdiane duaneexpansionsf2pfeaturedfedfederationfree-to-playinterviewinterviewskdfklingonlegacy of romulusmind gamesopinionpatchesperfect-worldperfect-world-entertainmentpwerihannsuromulanromulan republicromulanssci-fistar trek onlinestar-trekstar-trek-mmostar-trek-onlinestotutorialtutorialsMon, 26 Aug 2013 16:00:00 -0400319|20702979https://www.tuaw.com/2013/07/17/hours-of-logic-pro-x-training-are-available-online/https://www.tuaw.com/2013/07/17/hours-of-logic-pro-x-training-are-available-online/https://www.tuaw.com/2013/07/17/hours-of-logic-pro-x-training-are-available-online/#comments

Logic Pro X, the latest version of Apple's professional recording software, has hit stores with a smorgasbord of new features and options. At $200 the software is decidedly less expensive than its competitor Pro Tools, making it a great budget choice for cash-strapped music producers.

However new software has a learning curve, especially complicated software like a multi-track recording program with programable instruments, pitch editing and other tools you won't know how to use your first time at bat. Thankfully macProVideo.com has posted an exclusive set of online courses for Logic Pro X consisting of videos that allow you to see every step of the process.

This week, I'm going to do something different. I'm going to talk about my wife.

Lest anyone worry that this is the start of a Paul McCartney-esque slide into sappy sentimentality, there's good reason for this. Ms. Lady has been mentioned on previous occasions as a gaming partner and skilled roleplayer. She's not as into MMOs as I am, but she plays them a lot and she certainly knows what she likes and what she doesn't. And let me tell you, she didn't like Final Fantasy XIV.

This is a point of view I hold against absolutely no one, but it sure as heck meant that she was not interested in the relaunch. She'd had enough of the game after the first couple of tries to break in. The relaunch had no hooks to pull her back in, no interesting features that stirred her interest, nothing but the promise of a game she'd already decided wasn't good enough to play.

The votes are in. The people have spoken. Now, it's time to play. Last week'sChoose My Adventure column, the first one centered on Firefall, presented a couple of choices related to the very basics of creating our character and giving him or her reason to fight. Voters enthusiastically chose a beaten-down man with one hope for redemption -- and unwittingly fulfilled my personal fantasy to create a game hero based on Nicolas Cage's character in Con Air.

Voters also chose from among Firefall's five battleframes, with the jack-of-all-trades Assault frame beating out the smash-it-in-the-face Dreadnaught frame by just 26 votes. So, to recap: We have created a character who's an ex-con with no reason to live, handed him an assault rifle, and dropped him into a violent world where pretty much anything goes.

Break time's over! Now it's time to roll up our sleeves and get back to work building our latest Choose My Adventure. The first order of business is to establish the framework for the rest of our Darkfall Unholy Wars (mis)adventures.

Of course, we can't just build willy-nilly; we need to follow a plan. And as with any major construction project, we couldn't really move forward until said plan was OKed by the planning commission. So while we waited for the foundation to set, we sought approval for which type of structure to base our continuing adventures on. And as is wont to happen with committees, there was trouble coming to a consensus; even though the proposed models were all pretty similar, disagreement arose as to which to pick.

However, after some debate (one proposal won by only one vote!), we finally got the go ahead: The final word was to build a Mahirim Deadeye. I'm on it, boss!%Gallery-187735%
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agonaventurinecharacter-creationcharacter-customizationchoose my adventurechoose-my-adventurechoose-my-adventure-darkfallchoose-my-adventure-darkfall-unholy-warschoose-my-adventure-mj-guthriecmacma-darkfallcma-darkfall-unholy-warsdarkfalldarkfall-unholy-warsdffantasyfeaturedfirst-impressiongalleriesgalleryhands-onopen-pvpopinionpollpollspvpreaders-choicesandboxscreenshotstutorialtutorialsunholy-warsvotevotingWed, 08 May 2013 13:30:00 -0400319|20558551https://massively.joystiq.com/2012/12/08/the-daily-grind-what-things-should-mmos-explain-to-new-players/https://massively.joystiq.com/2012/12/08/the-daily-grind-what-things-should-mmos-explain-to-new-players/https://massively.joystiq.com/2012/12/08/the-daily-grind-what-things-should-mmos-explain-to-new-players/#comments

Games do not like to explain the concept of roles to players. This is not to say that they don't expect players to take those roles, most frequently the standard trinity setup; rather, those roles are never explained in depth. There's no tutorial in Star Wars: The Old Republic explaining what a tank is or how you will want to play one. In a game like Guild Wars 2, which has a radically different role structure from every other game, you'd expect more explanation, but it offers even less.

This is a smaller part of a larger problem: Many MMOs are built with the assumption that the players are familiar with certain core conventions. So you get tutorials on movement but not on roles or character builds or group behavior or anything that you might need if you've never played an MMO before in your life. What do you think MMOs in general should explain to new players? What areas are lacking in resources for anyone getting into a game cold?

Every morning, the Massively bloggers probe the minds of their readers with deep, thought-provoking questions about that most serious of topics: massively online gaming. We crave your opinions, so grab your caffeinated beverage of choice and chime in on today's Daily Grind!
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conceptsculturedaily-grindexplanationsfresh-playersgame mechanicslearning-to-playmiscellaneousnew-playersopiniontdgthe daily grindthe-daily-grindtutorialsSat, 08 Dec 2012 08:00:00 -0500319|20397688https://www.tuaw.com/2012/11/28/setting-up-mountain-lion-12-geek-setup-tips/https://www.tuaw.com/2012/11/28/setting-up-mountain-lion-12-geek-setup-tips/https://www.tuaw.com/2012/11/28/setting-up-mountain-lion-12-geek-setup-tips/#comments

After I recently wrote about how I often set up new Macs from scratch rather than taking advantage of migration, many people asked me to share my action logs. While I can't do that specifically because (1) my logs are extremely long and cryptic and (2) they contain tons of personal activation keys and serial numbers, I decided to share a few setup tips to help stem the tide of emails.

What follows is a dozen setup tasks that I picked out from my normal techniques, which I thought might be useful to others. Here are some of the things I do to my new systems, to make them shinier and happier and ready to use.

1. Copying my Solid Black desktop pattern

I don't know why Apple doesn't provide a ready-built black swatch, so I just add my own. I grab the version from my old system and install it into /Library/Desktop Pictures/Solid Colors/Solid Black.png. So why do I do this? Simple. Because I hate QuickTime's full screen playback.

By adding a black-colored background, I can play QuickTime movies on my secondary monitor using Command-3 ("Fit to Screen"), with a black background that doesn't distract me. I have a little AppleScript to help.

tell application "System Events" set d to last item in desktops -- Standard Swatch Paths set whitepath to "/Library/Desktop Pictures/Solid Colors/Solid White.png" set blackpath to "/Library/Desktop Pictures/Solid Colors/Solid Black.png" -- Toggle if ((picture of d as string) = ("Esopus Spitzenburg:Library:Desktop Pictures:Solid Colors:Solid White.png" as string)) then set picture of d to POSIX file blackpath else set picture of d to POSIX file whitepath end if end tell

2. Disable Window Zooms

I don't know which Apple Engineer came up with the idea that OS X should include a window zooming effect but I bear nothing but animosity for this person. Fortunately there is a solution.

I think it was either TJ Luoma or Rich Gaywood who first introduced me to somebodywhocares.org and its custom hosts file. In the words of the providers, "This is an easy and effective way to protect you from many types of spyware, reduces bandwidth use, blocks certain pop-up traps, prevents user tracking by way of 'web bugs' embedded in spam,
# provides partial protection to IE from certain web-based exploits and blocks most advertising you would otherwise be subjected to on the Internet."

I regularly download updates to /etc/hosts/hosts.withlove, then install it into place. Note that this requires administrator privileges.

% sudo cp hosts hosts.original
% sudo cp hosts.withlove hosts

Once installed, you'll find that your surfing experience improves, your breath becomes more lovely, and the world transforms into a gentle place full of unicorns and love.

4. Establish my Terminal Preferences

There is no shell but tsch, and .cshrc is its master. I always set up my system to use /bin/tcsh. Plus, Ryan Paul got me set up with a rocking Ubuntu Mono 13pt font for all my fixed width needs like...nethack and fortune, must-have basics.

Remember QuickTime Pro? I still use it. I bought my license ages ago, and will keep dragging around the app and the registration information for as long as I can. QuickTime 7, the app behind QuickTime Pro, still offers some of the best and most effective video editing tools out there. I make installing QT7/Pro a part of my normal Mac install routine.

QuickTime Pro lets me add, separate, or delete tracks, build overlays, trim media, and do ever so much more than iMovie. Sure it's ugly, creaky, and seriously odd, but it's a great tool and one I don't want to lose. [Ed.: Some of us still record our podcasts with it.]

6. Install Perian

If you love being able to watch AVI movies from inside QuickTime, Perian is the answer. We own several cameras that record in AVI format and without Perian, we woudn't be able to do that. Sure, the utility may not be supported any more but it still works and is dear to my heart. This is also when I generally install the latest version of Handbrake and libdvdcss.

7. Add Dropbox

Who doesn't love Dropbox? That doesn't mean you can't tweak your system. After installing the latest build, make sure to hop into Network > Bandwidth and set Don't Limit for uploads. It's nice to have your shared files finish uploading before the next century.

8. Install Vuescan

Remember Vuescan? It's another old app that keeps working and working. I bought my license way back when dinosaurs roamed the earth and it still allows me to keep using my archaic flatbed scanner (perfect for school forms) using my 2012 Mac mini running Mountain Lion. Well worth the license fee, it's a great solution for connecting your OS X system to old hardware.

9. Set up Github, etc.

I always like getting my dev tools in order, and establishing my keys at Github is one of those essential steps. It's also a good time to install command-line git, update my Xcode find options (via the little magnifying glass in the search fields), disable build notifications (whether Xcode succeeded building or not, I don't want to see them pop up in notification center. I'm sitting RIGHT HERE compiling.), and link to the simulator from my home folder:

As an iOS dev, an hour without working provisions is an hour without sunshine. Export from the old system as a password-protected package using organizer (Command-Shift-2 > Devices), and move them to the new system. Easiest way to get up and running with development on your new machine.

11. Tweak Mail

There's a lot of stuff that Mail does that I hate. Plus, I'm still getting over the fact that I can no longer use Eudora 6 after 10.6, so every mail task I have to do takes approximately 3x as long or worse. Regardless, now that I live in a Mail world, I disable all sounds (including new mail), enable BCC, and make sure to bring ~/Library/Mail and ~/Library/Mail Downloads along for the joyous ride. If anyone has created Rosetta for Mountain Lion, please let me know.

12. Set up TextEdit

In my life, there's no room for fussy rich text. First step out of the box is to switch TextEdit to plain text mode across the board. Then, I hop into System Preferences > iCloud > Documents & Data and get my machine the heck out of using cloud data. This has three effects: 1. It speeds up TextEdit. 2. It stabilizes TextEdit from all those unexplained crashes, and 3. Keeps my data safe. Apple still has a lot of work to do when it comes to net services. I trust iCloud just about as far as, well, not far at all.

--

So there you have it, a dozen ways I tweak my new systems. Are there several dozen more? Certainly. I doubt, however, you want to see my logs about: "Call Adobe. Yell at Adobe. Plead with Adobe. Beg Adobe so I can keep using Acrobat and Photoshop." Do I have a dozen more to share? Yes, but only if you find this kind of list useful.

Those of us who've used a BlackBerry PlayBook will be familiar with the inevitable first-boot tutorials showing how to navigate the swipe-driven interface before we're let loose. Thanks to a series of demonstration videos leaked by BlackBerryItalia, it's apparent that we won't escape that educational process on BlackBerry 10 devices, either. The four clips show the basics of what we know the gesture experience will be like on full-touch L-series phones, including the signature BlackBerry Peek to check notifications and the unified inbox. Anyone looking for a direct clue as to what production BlackBerry 10 hardware will entail might be frustrated, mind you -- the rendered phone appears to be a placeholder rather than the L-series or a Dev Alpha B, and the device name is censored in an attempt to protect the source. That said, the clips provide a very straightforward explanation of the new interface concept and give us one more indication that RIM is closer to launch.

Ubisoft has announced that the Bass Expansion for its educational guitar game, Rocksmith, is arriving on the PC on October 16. The DLC pack, which includes bass tracks and teaching functions for either a standard 6-string guitar or a 4-string bass guitar, hit Xbox 360 and PS3 earlier this August.

In addition to content for the game's current songs, the Bass Expansion allows you to access bass information for any DLC songs in the future, so it's quite an investment. The Bass Expansion will be available for $29.99, the same initial price as the console versions. One important bass-playing thing it won't teach you is how to look cooler than the lead guitarist while you play. Better get started working on that right now.
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bass-expansiondlcdownloadable-contentguitarmusicpcplayingrhythm-gamesrocksmithteachingtutorialsubisoftFri, 21 Sep 2012 02:00:00 -040011|20329510https://www.engadget.com/2012/08/13/adafruit-light-painting-raspberry-pi-guide/https://www.engadget.com/2012/08/13/adafruit-light-painting-raspberry-pi-guide/https://www.engadget.com/2012/08/13/adafruit-light-painting-raspberry-pi-guide/#comments

Taking long exposure photographs at night and painting within them using an iPad may be old hat, but building your own light painting rig? That could earn you some serious geek cred, and according to Adafruit, it isn't even all that hard. In a new walkthrough, the team fashioned such a contraption using a Raspberry Pi, a python script with under 60 lines of code, some open source software and a handful of electronic components. Not satisfied with the typical light wand, they decided to spice things up with a circular fixture built from PVC pipes and a hula hoop to hold the ribbon of LEDs. After being attached to a bike and paraded around at night, it created the 3D effect in the masterpiece above. If you're itching to make your own works of art, check out Adafruit's tutorial at the source link below.

With EVE Online's inbound Inferno 1.2 patch comes a completely overhauled tutorial experience for the game. CCP Games was concerned by how many potential players failed to make it through the existing tutorial, and CCP Greyscalewrote a lengthy post detailing how a studio goes about retuning the beginner experience to retain customers.

This process is detailed in five steps. The first was to gather metrics and analyze them to see where problem areas lay. From there the team broke apart the current tutorial, reorganized it, and formed task forces to deal with each section. After making the changes, the team turned the new tutorial over to outside testers for evaluation and feedback. Finally, the improved tutorial will be implemented to (hopefully) greater effect.

CCP also listed many of the changes coming with this new tutorial. These changes include removing the voiceovers and adding right-click context menus, better visuals, highlighting text, and easier navigation between the tutorial steps.
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1.2beginner-experienceccpccp-gamesccp-greyscaledev diariesdev-diaryeveeve onlineeve-onlineinfernoinferno-1.2internet-spaceshipspatch-1.2patchespreviewssandboxsci-fispreadsheets-onlinetutorialtutorial-experiencetutorialsMon, 30 Jul 2012 17:00:00 -0400319|20289402https://massively.joystiq.com/2012/07/29/the-daily-grind-should-games-offer-a-midpoint-between-pre-made/https://massively.joystiq.com/2012/07/29/the-daily-grind-should-games-offer-a-midpoint-between-pre-made/https://massively.joystiq.com/2012/07/29/the-daily-grind-should-games-offer-a-midpoint-between-pre-made/#comments

There are a lot of different ways you can put together a character in certain games. The Secret World offers players a huge number of different options by virtue of its skill wheel, RIFT gives players several souls to choose between, and Champions Online lets you cherry-pick from a huge pool of powers. Most of these games also offer you some pre-made builds to give you a sense of how the game is supposed to work, something to start you down the path of making your own build.

Unfortunately, as soon as you decide to step off the pre-made train, these games throw up their hands and declare that you're entirely on your own. There are no suggestions based on what you've picked thus far, it's either fully pre-made or fully freeform. Should these games offer something in the middle so that you can have some extra guidance if you want it? Or should they let you live or die by your decisions if you decide you want to go off the rails anyway?

Every morning, the Massively bloggers probe the minds of their readers with deep, thought-provoking questions about that most serious of topics: massively online gaming. We crave your opinions, so grab your caffeinated beverage of choice and chime in on today's Daily Grind!
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character-abilitiescharacter-tutorialsdaily-grindgame mechanicsgame-guidesguidanceguideshelpin-game-guidancemiscellaneousopen-character-creationopinionskill-based-characterstdgthe daily grindthe-daily-grindtutorialsSun, 29 Jul 2012 08:00:00 -0400319|20288469https://www.tuaw.com/2012/06/28/ipad-app-teaches-photoshop-cs6-in-an-engaging-manner/https://www.tuaw.com/2012/06/28/ipad-app-teaches-photoshop-cs6-in-an-engaging-manner/https://www.tuaw.com/2012/06/28/ipad-app-teaches-photoshop-cs6-in-an-engaging-manner/#comments

I've been debating jumping to Photoshop CS6 for awhile. I've had every version of PS since version 1 way back in the distant past and have really looking for someone to show me what the differences between CS5 and CS6 were in an easily understandable way.

To help solve my dilemma, I grabbed a copy of Learn Photoshop CS6 Quickstart edition for the iPad. It's a US $5.00 video tutorial with about 2 hours of videos covering Camera Raw, the new Content Aware tools, HDR, black and white conversions, and the new blur and lighting filters.

French landscape photographer Serge Ramelli is an engaging teacher, and I find I learn more from a video that reading a book. Ramelli keeps it simple, although sometimes he assumes a bit more knowledge than a new user might have. In addition to the videos, you can download the files used in the tutorials and try the techniques yourself.

I learned quite a bit in a short time, and the app answered my questions about whether or not I should upgrade (I should). While my new iPad screen has the very sharp Retina display, I found that I really wanted a larger presentation. Apple AirPlay to the rescue! The videos look great on my 46" LCD screen via the Apple TV.

Ramelli has other video tutorials, including learning HDR, Photoshop CS5, and basic landscape photography. There are also some free previews available to download and sample. I've looked at some of these videos, and they are consistently high value in terms of content but they don't get too technical. It's pretty easy to walk away with new techniques you might have never discovered.

All these Ramelli tutorials are universal apps, but I think the iPhone screen is just too small for worthwhile viewing. The CS6 Quickstart is a 333 MB download and requires iOS3 or greater.